Rail-joint regulator.



I. M. MYERS & O. ERWIN.

RAIL JOINT REGULATOR.

APPLICATION TILED JUNE 6,1911.

. Patented Feb. 27, 1912.

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ISAAC M. MYERS AND OTTO ERWIN, OF ELLING'ION, MISSOURI.

RAIL-JOINT REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 6, 1911.

Patented Feb. 27, 1912.

Serial No. 631,663.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Isaac M. Myers and Orro ERWIN, citizens of the United States. residing at Ellington, in the county of Reynolds and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joint Regulators, of which the fol lowing is aspecification.

It is well known that gaps are frequently formed at the joints between the meeting ends of companion rail sections, on account of construction of the rails in cold weather, or from various other causes, and that these gaps, if not closed or substantially closed, break the continuity of thetread surface of the rail and thus cause the wheels of the rolling stock to have a very. disagreeable and injurious pounding action as they pass over the joints. In order to close such a gap at a joint, it has been customary to employ a gang of ten or fifteen men to loosen the bolts in the joints for about a quarter or half a mile on each side of the defective joint, and

to pound the heads of the loosened rail sec-' tions so as to take up space therebetween to provide sufli'cient space between the meeting ends of the defective joint to enable an additional rail section to be inserted in the track. This operation ordinarily consumes a half a day or more, and is not only objectionable for that reason, but also on account of the fact that the steel is considerably damaged from the battering of the rail heads.

The object of the present invention is to obviate the objections above noted and to enable the defective joints to be more cheaply and expeditiously remedied, and to this end, the invention consists in an improved joint regulator which may be readily applied to the meeting ends of a pair of companion rail sections and which may. be operated after the slot spikes in the angle bars have been loosened, to draw the rail sections together with a positive force to close the gap therebetween.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be readily carried from lace to place as required for use, which is thoroughly reliable and eflicient in operation, and which is simle, durable and strong in construction and 15 not liable to get out of order.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain constructions, combinations and arrangements of the parts that We shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention,

reference is to be had to the following de scription and accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 is a sectional perspective view illustrating the application of the invention Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof, the rail sections being shown in side elevation: and, Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Our improved joint regulator includes a connecting-bar which is normally disposed 11111, substantially horizontal position and which is constructed in a pair of separate sections 1 that are arranged in longitudinal alinement. Each section is formed at its ends with upstanding heads which extend transversely entirely tl'iereacross with their side faces flush with the side edges of the section. For the sake of perspicuity the heads at the adjacent ends of the sections are designated 2, while those at the remote ends of the sections are designated 3. All of the heads have square corners and rectangular faces and are substantially similar except that the heads 3 are of somewhat greater length than the heads 2. Each head 3 is formed with a transverse opening 4: extending entirely therethrough in close proximity to the plane of the upper face of the section 1. longitudinal openings 5 extending therethrough midway between their side faces and at a predetermined distance above the plane of the upper faces of the sections of the connecting bar, said openings being preferably threaded, as shown.

Rail-engaging clamps are mounted at the remote ends of the sections 1, and as these clamps are substantial duplicates, only one of the same will be specifically described. The clamp comprises a pair of co-acting members 6 the upper ends of which are arranged on opposite sides of the head 3 and are formed with openings 7 registering with the transverse opening 4. A bolt 8 is passed through the openings and has a nut 9 working on its extremity, the nut being designed to be tightened to'draw the clamping mem bers together.

The clamping members de- The heads 2 have registering pend substantially vertically below the bar section and have their inner faces fiat except at said depending lower ends, where the members are thickened to form inwardl'y projecting jaws 10. The upper and lower edges of t e jaws are inwardly beveled so that the jaws are wedge-shape in cross section for a purpose to be hereinafter disclosed. The upper edge of each jaw is spaced apart from the lower face of the connecting-bar section, while the lower edge of the jaw is flush with the lower extremity of the clamping member and is formed with transverse serrations 11. I

The adjacent ends of the sections 1 are adjustably coupled together by a turnscrew 12 having oppositely threaded end portions which work in the longitudinal openings '5 in the respective heads 2. Midway between its ends the turn-screw hasan integral collar 13 that is angular in cross section and is designed to be engaged by a wrench or similar tool to enable the screw to be turned in one direction or the other as occasion requires.

In practice, the connecting-bar is disposed longitudinally upon the tread surface of the rail so as to span the joint between the meeting ends of companion rail sections. The clamps are then applied to the respective rail sections with the co-acting members 6 of each clamp depending on opposite sides of the rail, it being noted that the jaws 10 fit under the'head of the rail with their beveled edges engaging, respectively, the under surface of the head and the upper surface of the base flange. By tightenin the nuts 9 the clamping members are drawn together so as to force the jaws against the sides of the rail sections and thus cause the jaws to firmly grip the rail sections with a wedging action. By having the bolts 8 in the lower portion of the heads-3 and comparatively close to the tread surface of the rail the clamping members may be, of course, drawn against the rail -with considerable force. After the clamps havebeen secured to the rail sections, a wrench or the like is applied to the collar 13 and the screw turned in the requisite direction to draw the clamps together and tliusexcrt longitudinal tension on the rail sections to close the gap at the joint. Inasmuch as the turn-screw engages the heads 2 at points above the plane of the bolts 8, the tension exerted by the screw tends to hold the adjacent ends of the connecting-bar sections 1 down against the tread of the rail so that a straight pull on the rail sections is secured and any tendency of the rail sections to rise at the joint is obviated. The operation of the device may be conveniently effected by a single workman, and it is only necessary to employ a second workman to pull the slot spikes in the an 1e bars to enable the rails to be shifted un er tension. The track may therefore be repaired at a considerably smaller cost than with a method requiring the services of a gang of ten or more workmen. Furthermore, the desired result is attained without the necessity of pounding the rails or otherwise injuring the steel. After the gap at one joint has been closed the spikes are driven home to retain the rail sections in place, whereupon the regulating device is detached and applied to the next adjacent joint, the operation being repeated until sufficient space has been taken up to permit the insertion of an extra length of rail. 1

Attention is directed to the fact that the serrations 11 engage the upper faces of the base flanges, for the purpose of affording the jaws a firmer rip on the rail sections and to insure agalnst the liability of the jaws slipping longitudinally under tension.

What we claim is: I

A rail joint closure, comprising a connecting -men1ber. constructed ,in separate longitudinally alined sect-ions formed at their ends with heads, a longitudinal actuating screw extending between and working through the heads at the adjacent ends of the sections, transverse clamping bolts passing through the heads at the remote ends of the sections, and clamping members mounted on the bolts and depending therefrom, said clamping members being formed at their lower ends with enlargements of a size to engage the underside of the head, the side of the web and the base flange of a standard rail.

In testimony whereof, we afiix our signatures inipresence of two witnesses.

ISAAC M. MYERS. [1 5.] OTTO ERVVIN. [11. s.] \Vitnesses:

, C. L. MASSIE,

'A. L. GEORGE. 

